NEW HAVEN — A man who was cutting electrical wires at the power substation on Grand Avenue was shocked and critically injured Thursday afternoon in an incident that cut power to more than 3,000 customers downtown, police said.

The man, identified as 24-year-old Sammy Gonzalez, suffered third-degree burns, police said. He was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital where was listed in critical but stable condition. He was later flown to the Bridgeport Burn Center.

"According to the footage, Gonzalez can be seen trying to cut through a charged electrical wire at the former power station. It was this act that caused the utility service interruption," Officer David Hartman said.

The man apparently returned to his home on Mill River Street after being shocked, and then called an ambulance, police said. Medics and fire officials arrived to discover third-degree burns on the man, Officer David Hartman said. Police realized the burns were electrical and connected the incident to the power outage in downtown New Haven.

The power went out at about 4 p.m., and United Illuminating restored power by 7:30 p.m.